Mining in Africa

On the eve of the continent’s largest mining conference, The Mining Indaba, we decided to take a look at our part in Africa’s largest economic export and at the foundations of its growth.

In 2011, the African continent contributed 6.5% of the worlds mineral exports, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) produced two-thirds of those mineral exports by value, of which South Africa is the largest contributor.

Africa’s mining and quarrying export industries are driven by resource hungry global economies, particularly from China, which alone accounted for 17% of the worlds mineral imports in 2012.

Africa’s rich mineral deposits have, and will continue to be, a strong contributor to the foundations of the modern African economy.

Scattered Operations in Africa

The management of scaling mining operations requires precise and extensive planning, as well as performance feedback and communication between the multiple aspects within the extraction process.

As demand increases internationally and rising competitive investment shrinks the market, companies are looking to maximize their current prospects through more efficient operations. Industry focus within the sector has identified that the simultaneous management, extraction and processing of these scattered operations off site is the key to their efficiency.

Improving operations falls to integrating processes such as production, safety, security and communications. Communications being an essential function to manage each remote site that would normally lack the telecommunications or data infrastructure of traditional providers.

Connecting Operations

Installing fibre connectivity lines solves some of the difficulty for instant communications between sites, however, that infrastructure installation is costly.

SES Broadband is an African solution for African data challenges. When it comes to the mining sector, Broadband connects scattered mining operations together under a single management hub, without the pain and timeline of building that initial infrastructure.

“Africa’s industries need to compete with international competitors now, they need to stay ahead. SES provides that capability, we’re able to invest into our clients needs today, for the competitors of tomorrow” – Ibrahima Guimba-Saidou, Vice President of Commercial Africa.

There are many factors that contribute to a successful mining business, but our most valuable contribution is connectivity. That connectivity gives decision makers the ability to make effective, timeous decisions. We want to work with you, so click here and we’ll get in touch with you.